Time-control mechanism for electric stoves



Dec. 17, 1929- c. c. ARMSTRONG 1,739,937

TIME CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ELECTRIC STOVES Original Filed Aug. 5, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l 'Inueni'or: Chacles C. Armsi'non y,

Dec. 17, 1929. c. c. ARMSTRONG TIME CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ELECTRIC STOVES Original Filed Aug. 5, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Charles CKArmsZ'nwy',

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Patented Dec. 17, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT .OFFICEY CHARLES C. ARMSTRONG, OI HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOB TO THE ABM- STBONQELECT RIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, .A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE TIME-CONTROL MECHANISM FOR ELECTRIC STOVES Original application am Au ust a, 1925, 8er1a1 m. 47,880. new and thin application filed August so,

- me. Serial in. 132,543.

The invention relates to time control mechanism and is particularly designed to control the electric heating elements of an oven.

It consists in the features and combination of partshereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a sectional view of an electric range with my improvement in place.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the time control mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a rear view of Fig. 2. V

Fig. 4 shows details of the mercury tube holder relating to the time control means.

Fig. 5 is -a side view of the time control switch. 7 I

This specification is a division of that filed by me Aug. 3, 1925, Serial No. 47,830.

The time control including a clock of an standard form, the casing 66of which is inged at 67. to be moved into and out of one of the recesses in the main body of the stove. This recess is formed by a casing or shell 68 attached to thestove \body and projecting into the interior thereof in the space between one of the side walls and the oven. The flange of casing 66 is perforated at 66 to keep the temperature within casing 68 at or near room temperature. The control of the circuit which operates the oven heaters is exerted by a tipping mercury tube 69 which has cfitacts therein operating in connection with the shifting body of mercury to make and break the electric circuit. The holder for this mercury tube is a sheet metal member stamped to provide spring fingers 70 for graspingthe tube, a base portion71 havin an openin by which said member is pivota ly mounte on a stud 72 screwed to the depending part 73 of the sup lemental casing 74 which carries the bin ing posts 75, 75 of the circuit wires from which bindin posts electric connection is made throug wires 76 with the con- ,tacts extending into the mercury tube. This supplergental casing is secured by screws 77 to the upper side of the clock casing which to receive said supplemental has an opening casing and its depending bracket portion.

.82- on arms 83, 84 respectively The bracket or holder 70-71 for the mercury tube has movement on the said stud u n-. der frictional restraint of a friction washer 78 which is arranged between the head of the screw stud 79 and the part 71 of the holder, said screw being threaded into the depending part 73 of the supplemental casing 74.

The tube holder has a stud 80 projecting from its rear side through an opening in the part 73 of the supplemental casing or bracket and also through an opening in the back of the main casing, and this stud has inclined upper and lower inclined sides converging to a narrow edge adapted'to be contacted by on and off projections 81,

having perforated hub portions mounte to turn on a hollow sleeve or stud 85 which fits on a stud 86 projecting from the clock mechanism through an opening in the rear wall of the casing thereof. The projections 81 and 82 are at difl'erent distances from the axis of rotation. The sleeve is held on this stud by a screw 88. The sleeve at its end. has a gear wheel 89 to mesh with a gear of the clock works by which the sleeve is driven. The sleeve carries fixed thereto a dial 90, the edge of which is ratchet toothed to receive'spring pawls 91-92 on the on and ofi arms 81, 82.

This dial plate is curved to economize space and enable it to clear the edge of the opening or recess in the main body of the casing as the clock mechanism is swung to and from the current will be automatically turned on when the projection of the on arm tips the mercury holder by coming against the upper inclined surface of the pro ection 80 o the mercury tube holder and tips the corresponding end of the mercury tube downwardly to a position in which the mercury will immerse the electric contacts thereof and cooking will continue until the dial plate 90 has rotated to the point where the projection on theoff arm will work against the lower inclined surface of the projection 80 of the mercury tube holder and tips the corresponding end of the tube upwardly to a position where the mercury will leave the contacts and break the circuit at this point. The dial 90 together with the indicator arms, the sleeve and gear for connecting with the clock works constitute a unit removable and replaceable as such.

\Vhen the time control is not desired the mercury tube can be short circuited by a switch lever 91 pivoted on the stud of one of the terminals, i. e. 75 in the supplemental casing and adapted when thrown to one position to engage the other terminal 75 and thus cut out electric connection with the contacts of the mercury tube, and therefore the stove may be used either withor without the time control, by swinging this switch lever so as to break electrical contact with terminal 75*} or to make said contact. This switch with its terminals the mercury switch and supplemental casing constitutes a unit which can be removed from or replaced on the main casing of the time control.

I claim:

1. A circuit controller including a pivoted member having a projection, arms having a common pivot with projections at different distances from said pivot to engage said projection for moving said member either one way or the other according to which arm is effective, a ratchet disc, about the edge of which the arms may be set, a connection from said disc to clock works for rotating said disc always in one direction, said disc serving as the driver for the arms in whatever relation they may be set, one of said arms setting the said member to make and the other setting said member to break the circuit at times indicated on said disc according to the positions in which the arms are set, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a support, a circuit controller mounted on said support, and having a pivoted holder having a projection having upper and lower inclined surfaces, a mercury tube carried by said holder, pivotally mounted arms for operating said tiltable holder, one arm having a lug projection adapted to engage one inclined surface on said holder projection to tilt the holder and tube to close the circuit, and the other arm having a lug projection adapted to engage the other inclined surface to tilt the holder and tube to open the circuit, said lug projections being at different distances from the pivoted axis of said arms, a ratchet disc about which said arms may be adjusted, clock works for operating the disc, the teeth of the disc serving as the means for determining the adjusted position of and as the dIl'VG for the arms 

